Size-Dependent Submerging of Nanoparticles in Polymer Melts: Effect of Line Tension

Shanqiu Liu; Anupam Pandey; Joost Duvigneau; Julius Vancso; Jacco H. Snoeijer

doi:10.1021/acs.macromol.7b02353

Size-Dependent Submerging of Nanoparticles in Polymer Melts: Effect of Line Tension

Shanqiu Liu, Anupam Pandey, Joost Duvigneau, Julius Vancso, Jacco H. Snoeijer

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

22 Scopus citations

Abstract

Adhesion of nanoparticles to polymer films plays a key role in various polymer technologies. Here we report experiments that reveal how silica nanoparticles adhere to a viscoelastic PMMA film above the glass transition temperature. The polymer was swollen with CO₂, closely matching the conditions of nanoparticle-nucleated polymer foaming. It is found that the degree by which the particles sink into the viscoelastic substrate is strongly size dependent and can even lead to complete engulfment for particles of diameter below 12 nm. These findings are explained quantitatively by a thermodynamic analysis, combining elasticity, capillary adhesion, and line tension. We argue that line tension, here proposed for the first time in elastic media, is responsible for the nanoparticle engulfment.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	2411-2417
Number of pages	7
Journal	Macromolecules
Volume	51
Issue number	7
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.macromol.7b02353
State	Published - Apr 10 2018
Externally published	Yes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Organic Chemistry
Polymers and Plastics
Inorganic Chemistry
Materials Chemistry

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10.1021/acs.macromol.7b02353

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title = "Size-Dependent Submerging of Nanoparticles in Polymer Melts: Effect of Line Tension",

abstract = "Adhesion of nanoparticles to polymer films plays a key role in various polymer technologies. Here we report experiments that reveal how silica nanoparticles adhere to a viscoelastic PMMA film above the glass transition temperature. The polymer was swollen with CO2, closely matching the conditions of nanoparticle-nucleated polymer foaming. It is found that the degree by which the particles sink into the viscoelastic substrate is strongly size dependent and can even lead to complete engulfment for particles of diameter below 12 nm. These findings are explained quantitatively by a thermodynamic analysis, combining elasticity, capillary adhesion, and line tension. We argue that line tension, here proposed for the first time in elastic media, is responsible for the nanoparticle engulfment.",

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T1 - Size-Dependent Submerging of Nanoparticles in Polymer Melts

T2 - Effect of Line Tension

AU - Liu, Shanqiu

AU - Pandey, Anupam

AU - Duvigneau, Joost

AU - Vancso, Julius

AU - Snoeijer, Jacco H.

PY - 2018/4/10

Y1 - 2018/4/10

N2 - Adhesion of nanoparticles to polymer films plays a key role in various polymer technologies. Here we report experiments that reveal how silica nanoparticles adhere to a viscoelastic PMMA film above the glass transition temperature. The polymer was swollen with CO2, closely matching the conditions of nanoparticle-nucleated polymer foaming. It is found that the degree by which the particles sink into the viscoelastic substrate is strongly size dependent and can even lead to complete engulfment for particles of diameter below 12 nm. These findings are explained quantitatively by a thermodynamic analysis, combining elasticity, capillary adhesion, and line tension. We argue that line tension, here proposed for the first time in elastic media, is responsible for the nanoparticle engulfment.

AB - Adhesion of nanoparticles to polymer films plays a key role in various polymer technologies. Here we report experiments that reveal how silica nanoparticles adhere to a viscoelastic PMMA film above the glass transition temperature. The polymer was swollen with CO2, closely matching the conditions of nanoparticle-nucleated polymer foaming. It is found that the degree by which the particles sink into the viscoelastic substrate is strongly size dependent and can even lead to complete engulfment for particles of diameter below 12 nm. These findings are explained quantitatively by a thermodynamic analysis, combining elasticity, capillary adhesion, and line tension. We argue that line tension, here proposed for the first time in elastic media, is responsible for the nanoparticle engulfment.

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Size-Dependent Submerging of Nanoparticles in Polymer Melts: Effect of Line Tension

Abstract

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